Guelph-based Linamar, which manufacturers auto parts for industrial vehicles, opened shop in the state in 2011 in an abandoned Volvo plant.

"They (Linamar) were looking for a place to build some big parts, and these parts are big I gotta say," Obama said, in front of mining truck parts. "And while they could have gone anyplace in the world, they saw this incredible potential right here in Asheville."